Volatile and non-volatile anesthetics can exert their antioxidant capacity through different mechanisms. Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) has been reported to provide antioxidant capacity by scavenging free radicals. However, volatile anesthetics such as isoflurane, desflurane or sevoflurane can reduce the oxidative damage through anesthetic preconditioning. Several animal studies demonstrate that volatile anesthetics offer more protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury than intravenous anesthetics. On the contrary, intravenous anesthetics may be more protective against sepsis-induced hepatic injury than volatile anesthetics. However, there are few investigations concerning the effects of different anesthetics on remote pulmonary injuries in clinical settings.